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A new campaign aims to tackle period stigma to keep girls and women playing sports

Sport stars like ,  and  dazzled fans at the recent Paris Olympic Games with their performances. But off the pitch, many athletes also used the Olympics to draw attention to deeply entrenched inequities and challenges facing girls and women in sport, such as  and .

A new initiative, , is making waves by paying athletes to discuss their menstruation experiences. The effort aims to shatter the taboo of menstruation, a long overlooked problem in the sport world.

This campaign is sponsored by the  and aims to normalize period talk, especially for adolescent athletes. Olympians like Canadian beach volleyball player  and American rugby player  have been promoting Sport Your Period over the past year by wearing small red dots during competition. Notably,  is the lead spokesperson.A promotional video from Knix about the Sport Your Period campaign.

This initiative builds on the candidness of elite athletes who spoke out about menstruation publicly. New Zealand golfer  and Chinese swimmer  both made headlines for casually sharing their menstrual woes during competition, yet sports media , showing that it remains a taboo subject.

Girls at risk of dropping sport

Despite the Paris Olympics being billed as the ,” there remains a glaring lack of structural support and policies to address the ways menstrual health — and sexual and reproductive health rights more broadly — impact women’s and girls’ participation in sports from grassroots to elite levels.

In fact, adolescent  at twice the rate of boys, often citing  as key factors.

. It’s clear that menstrual health is a widespread, largely unspoken and somewhat understudied obstacle for female athletes of all ages.

 showed that, while 87 per cent reported their menstrual cycle impacted their performance and training, only 35 per cent had ever discussed it with their coaches. Nearly one-quarter felt they didn’t understand how their menstrual cycle affected their sport performance, and about 28 per cent felt their coaches lacked knowledge on the subject.

Despite efforts to improve coaching education and pathways in sport for girls and women, there is almost no formal menstrual health education for coaches or athletes. Although brand initiatives like  offer training advice, and the  project (founded by Sarah Zipp, co-author of this article) provides education and resources, these efforts are limited.

Few structural policies address the larger issue athletes and coaches face regarding menstrual health. Some elite sport teams, such as the , have employed experts to help align training with menstrual cycle phases.

Additionally, some national and professional teams have  to reflect the challenges of managing menstruation during competition.

However, these efforts rarely include adolescent girls or focus on their participation. The Knix campaign stands out by specifically targeting adolescent athletes and promoting menstrual health literacy.

Sexual and reproductive health rights

According to the , sexual and reproductive health rights encompass efforts to eliminate maternal mortality, provide accessible health services, address sexual and gender-based violence, and manage sexually transmitted infections.

Sexual and reproductive health rights include menstrual health, such as access to accurate information, affordable and appropriate menstrual care products and adequate toilet facilities. They also include the right to education about menstruation and the elimination of related stigma and discrimination. Ensuring menstrual health and hygiene is integral for promoting reproductive health and gender equality.

Amid escalating global rates of sexual and gender-based violence and the climate crisis, a  highlighted concerns about the impact of climate change on women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health rights, as well as experiences of sexual and gender-based violence. The report suggests links between climate change, sexual and gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health rights have been largely overlooked.

In fact, sexual and reproductive health rights also include the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, including comprehensive sexuality education. On this front, a number of  use sports as a platform to improve knowledge about menstrual health, sexuality and awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights.

Recent studies have underlined the importance of a  that focuses on promoting sexual and reproductive health rights and supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. For example,  would account for broader structural and social conditions, like including access to safe spaces and affordable menstrual products for sport participation.

Menstrual health is absent in sport policy

But how can awareness campaigns like Sport Your Period, along with the advocacy efforts of NGOs, lead to real structural and policy changes that better support menstruating athletes?

Policies such as providing menstrual products, teaching about menstrual health, adjusting uniform regulations and improving toilet facilities can help advance gender equality and promote sexual and reproductive health rights. Yet few sport organizations address these taboo topics.

Leaders and policy-makers in sport federations, governing bodies, leagues, clubs and schools must develop policies that recognize menstrual health as a fundamental right and a significant barrier for participation. They must also address discriminatory practices and foster supportive environments where women and girls who participate in sport at all levels feel comfortable discussing menstrual health issues.

Organizations like the , a leader in the sport for international development sector, offer valuable insights for ways to normalize menstrual health in sports and . But these ad hoc efforts leave too many adolescent athletes and coaches behind.

What’s needed is a more comprehensive approach to menstrual health education for coaches and athletes through the sport organizations that govern global, national and local sport systems. Campaigns should not just focus on elite athletes, but speak to the needs of adolescents trying to participate in sport, recreation, physical activity and play at all levels.

We can — and must — do more to support adolescent girls striving to reach their sporting dreams, whether that means aiming for the Olympics or simply moving their body freely without needing to worry about stigmatization and exclusion.

By , associate professor, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, 91��ɫ, Canada and , associate professor, Bolte School of Business, Mount Saint Mary's University.

This article is republished from .